CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - March 2016 was the 10th warmest March on record
with an average temperature of 46.5 degrees, 5.2 degrees above normal. Illinois
was not alone; essentially the entire US was warmer than normal in March,
according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim
Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

March temperature departures from the 1981-2010 average

March
is the latest in a string of above-normal months in Illinois going all the way
back to September 2015. In fact, the September-March 2016 average temperature
of 45.6 degrees is 3.9 degrees above normal and the 3rd warmest September-March
combo on record since 1895.

This
warmth for the past several months is due to the moderating influence of El
Niño on winters in Illinois, as well as our trend towards milder winters in
recent decades. The winter of 2013-14 was the exception to the rule.

The
March statewide average precipitation was 3.28 inches, 0.32 inches above
normal. Far southern Illinois was the wettest with amounts of 5 to 8 inches
common.

The
largest monthly precipitation total in the state was Smithland Lock and Dam in
Pope County with 8.73 inches. An area from Quincy to Peoria was the driest
with amounts closer to 1 to 3 inches. For example, the Quincy Airport reported
only 1.08 inches of precipitation for March.

Northern Illinois experienced some snow in March
while the rest of the state was quiet. Amounts of 1 to 4 inches were common in
the north, and a few places along the IL-WI border received more. A site near
Gurnee reported a monthly total of 8.2 inches of snow. Overall, snowfall was
below normal for March across the state.

The Illinois State Water Survey
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a division of the Prairie
Research Institute, is the primary agency in Illinois concerned with water and
atmospheric resources.